Panthers snag top section seed despite defeat

A 7-6 loss to Litchfield on Thursday, Oct. 8 left the Glencoe-Silver Lake football team facing the prospect of losing out on a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming Section 2AAA Tournament.

However, that loss, GSL’s first to the Dragons since 2005, proved of little consequence as the closest contender to that top seed – Providence Academy – also lost the final game of its regular season the very next night.

The Panthers’ good fortune was confirmed on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 10 as they were awarded the top seed and the bye that comes with it, with Providence dropping down to the third seed behind Belle Plaine.

With the top seed comes home-field advantage throughout the sectional bracket; though more importantly, the bye gives a banged-up GSL squad an additional six days to heal before it takes the field at Stevens Seminary Stadium next Tuesday. First-round sectional games are slated for Wednesday night.

As it is, the 6-2 Panthers will now face either fourth-seeded Rockford, or No. 5 seed Holy Family next week – most likely, with Teddy Petersen back on the field.